KWZ Cappuccino Review

Background information

KWZ is a new-to-me ink brand, though it’s been on the market since 2012. Konrad Żurawski is the one-man owner and manufacturer: according to his website, he started off trying to improve inks he owned and started making iron gall inks. It used to be that you could only order inks through his website, but luckily, it’s becoming easier to get.

KWZ inks are packages in a simple glass bottle. I believe you get 60ml of ink. There’s a sticker on the front with the name of the ink as well as a small swatch, which appear to all be done by hand.

The first thing you’ll notice when you open the bottle is that you get a heavy whiff of a vanilla scent, similar to the smell of vanilla extract. If you’re sensitive to smells, this definitely will not be the ink brand for you. The scent dissipates eventually, but my notebook still smells a bit like vanilla if I put my nose to it.

Taking a look: the scan

KWZ Cappuccino is a brown that leans orange. It reminds me a lot of the color of iced coffee with soy milk. Is that too specific? Probably. It definitely looks like a coffee-ish color to me.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a scan with the water resistance test, but not to worry: I have a picture for you! Cappuccino isn’t waterproof, but I would say that it is water resistant. You will definitely be able to read what you previously wrote if you get into a rainy accident.

This ink takes quite a while to dry; as you can see, it wasn’t even close to dry by the 60 second mark on Midori MD paper. While testing on Tomoe River, it took about a minute to dry down enough for me to feel comfortable turning the page. As such, if you’re someone who likes quick-drying inks, this may not be the right choice for you.

You do get some shading that is more apparent with the broad nib. It isn’t dramatic, but I think it adds an interesting flair to your letters. In very heavy applications of ink, you get a slight silver sheen. However, I don’t think there is enough in general use that I would call it a sheening ink.

Taking a look: on paper

I compare the ink to four other colors: Kyo Iro Gion no Ishidatami, Diamine Sepia, Noodler’s Kiowa Pecan, and Diamine Ancient Copper. As you can probably tell, Cappuccino is definitely a brown with a slight orange tone. While Kiowa Pecan is a bit brown, it’s much more orange. Sepia and Ancient Copper are also more orange, but in their own ways. Gion no Ishidatami is a grayer kind of brown.

I use the ink here in my Nemosine Singularity with a medium nib (that I have mistaken as a broad nib for the past, oh, I don’t know, year). This combination is super wet! I ran out of ink within a week, which rarely happens to me. I’m not a person who is particularly sensitive to smells, so the vanilla scent didn’t bother me, but I will say that the scent definitely lingered. My journal smells a bit like vanilla now. I currently have the ink in my Lamy Al-Star, and every time I uncap the pen I know exactly what ink I have in there!

I quite like the color of Cappuccino. It’s a brown that I don’t have, and I think it’s a really interesting color that appeals to me. If you’re interested in this color, you should definitely grab a bottle. However, if you can, I would suggest acquiring a sample or coming into contact with KWZ inks in-person. I think that the vanilla scent can be a huge turn-off for some.

What do you think? Would you pick up a bottle of KWZ Cappuccino? How do you feel about scented inks in general? I would love to hear your thoughts.